The Seelie Curse

Chapter 65

Rowan's eyes snap open and she stares at the ceiling. She takes a deep breath, then another. Could she go back to yesterday? There is a knock on her door and she sighs. Not possible then. There is a moment of silence and then another knock. Rowan groans.

"What?"

There is a snort of laughter from the other side of the door and her mother pushes it open, one hand covering her mouth. Rowan glares at her mother and pointedly pulls her comforter over her voice. Her mother laughs again, louder this time. Rowan feels a tug on the comforter and she grips it harder, but her efforts are to no avail.

The material slips out of her grasp. Rowan turns to the wall and closes her eyes, but a hand grips her shoulder and rolls her back over. Rowan cracks her eyelids open to see her mother standing over her with a confused expression on her face. Arwen raises an eyebrow and places her hands on her hips. She moves them again a moment later when Rowan tries to grab the blanket, snatching it away from her daughter.

"What's up with you today, Rowanberry?"

Rowan sighs. "Can I go back to tomorrow?"

"Why?"

Rowan grimaces. "Because I don't want it to be today."

Arwen raises an eyebrow. "You know, most people enjoy their birthday. Especially when it is their eighteenth. You normally look forward to your birthday as well, so what's wrong?"

"Why does something have to be wrong? Why can't I just not want it to be my birthday yet?"

"Rowan."

Rowan throws her hands up and slumps against her pillows. "There's nothing to tell you!"

"I know you're lying Rowan. Why won't you tell me?"

Rowan sighs. "Because I can't."

"Why not?"

Fed up with the interrogation, Rowan slides off the bed and grabs her coat. She pulls it over her shoulders and briefly checks the pockets, searching for the salt and iron nails. Satisfied that they are present, she grabs her bag from the post of her bed and slings it over her shoulder. Her mother watches her with a confused expression on her face.

"What are you doing, Rowan?"

Rowan turns to look at her mother, her eyes slightly narrowed in irritation. "I'm done talking, so I'm going to go out."

"Out where?"

"The woods. Obviously."

"Rowan, the sun isn't even up yet!"

Rowan shrugs. "So? You're the one who woke me before daybreak."

"I didn't think you would be going outside!"

Rowan sighs. "Mum, I'll be fine. I've been in the forest after dark before, being out before daylight won't be that different. And I know the forest like the back of my hand. I won't get lost." She silently adds, 'besides, if I do get lost, either my guide runes or the forest will lead me back.'

"Will you at least change first?"

Rowan just shakes her head. "No, I'm going out now. I need to think."

"Rowan, please."

Rowan turns to look her mother in the eyes, glaring slightly. "No. I'm going outside, Mum."

Then she walks out the door. Her mother doesn't follow, too stunned to do so. Once she slips out the back door, Rowan takes a deep breath. The air is crisp in her lungs, a rush of cold. Rowan smiles into the grey morning, her dark mood momentarily lifted. The wind is calm around her, just the barest hints of breeze.

Using her familiarity with the yard, Rowan manoeuvres her way over to the gate and unlatches it. The grasses beyond tickle her legs, leaving tiny spots of cold dew on the dark cotton of her pyjamas. She steps into the forest, almost feeling the shadows closing around her in the pre-dawn light.

As she walks, Rowan feels her way along the tree trunks, peering into the gloom. After a moment, soft blue light dances across the forest floor. She frowns, crouching to investigate it. There are tiny specks of glowing blue dust scattered in the dirt. But it isn't dust, not really. It's some kind of fungus, perhaps from the mycelium networks of the trees?

She lets the trees lead her where they wish, but she almost jumps in surprise when the texture of the ground changes beneath her feet. She hadn't realized she had forgotten to put on shoes, not until now. She might not have figured it out until she made it back home, if not for the gravel riverbank.

She winces as she makes her way down to the water, gingerly picking her way across the stones. It isn't a pleasant feeling, the sharp edges of pebbles underfoot. Her toes instinctively curl when she reaches the water, pulling back against the cold. Rowan just keeps walking, letting the water reach mid-thigh before she stops and sits on the bank. The water swirls around her, its currents soft.
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What do you think of Rowan's reaction? Should she have done that? Why did she do it? What's going to happen next? Tell me your thoughts!

Happy reading and I'll see you next chapter!

~Goddess of Fate, signing out.